This Is Going To Hurt – by Adam Kay

24 07 2018

This book is many things: hilarious, revolting, moving, uplifting, motivating, to name but a few.

Adam used to be a Junior Doctor, and at a simple level, all this book is is a collection of his diary entries during that time. But really what this book shows is the state of the NHS. I truly love the NHS, but I also truly hate the state they’ve found themselves in thanks to the government.

This isn’t Casualty, Scrubs or Greys Anatomy, but a realistic look at what life is like for the first years after med school – the lack of sleep, the low pay, the pressure, the lack of social life, the damage to relationships, but also occasionally showing us some joy.

The writing style is light and humourous mostly, since leaving the NHS Adam now writes for TV so it’s clearly a gifting of his, and it’s so easy to read an enjoyable. I read it in 5 days!

His speciality was in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and it gets really gross in some places. What was really well thought through though was all the little footnotes explaining what different conditions, procedures or measurements all mean in laymens terms, so I felt like I learnt a little too!

I’d love everyone in the UK to read this book, so that next time we see a doctor having a bad day, we leave our frustrations to the system, and not the human in front of us who is doing the best they can with what they have.


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15 03 2020
Unknown's avatar Twas the nightshift before Christmas – by Adam Kay | ineke.co.uk

[…] is Going to Hurt” has been an absolute sensation and after reading it in 2018, when I saw that a short (142 pages) Christmas follow-up was coming out I was very excited to read […]

19 01 2021
Unknown's avatar Dear NHS 100 Stories to Say Thank You – Edited by Adam Kay | ineke.co.uk

[…] year during lockdown Adam Kay (of “This is Going to Hurt” fame) reached out to some of the nations best loved stars to ask them to contribute to this […]

Leave a reply to Dear NHS 100 Stories to Say Thank You – Edited by Adam Kay | ineke.co.uk Cancel reply

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